First post and Hansbrough reaction
by 2ndBlueGeneration on Jun 26, 2009 12:51 PM EDT
8 comments
I’m new to the Pacers blog here on SB Nation, but I am not new to the Pacers. I remember playing basketball in the driveway with my friends and we all wanted to be Reggie Miller. I still have my Rik Smits jersey in my closet, though it stopped fitting me years ago. I remember watching the blue and gold battle with the Knicks and the Bulls for Eastern Conference dominance.
And then something happened. The team changed quickly. The brawl. Arrested players. Divas creating locker room drama. And I, like so many others, began to pay the Pacers less and less attention because they were not putting out a product that I wanted to see.
But in the last two years, things have changed. I’m beginning to watch Pacers basketball again. I’m watching games on TV and going to them when I have a chance. I recognize this team for what it is: rebuilding. People seem upset about the Psycho-T pick, but it fits the mold of what LB and the front office are doing. Chad Ford of ESPN had what I thought was spot-on analysis:
I like the strategy Larry Bird and David Morway have been employing the past couple of years in Indiana. Instead of swinging for the fences in the draft, they are trying for singles and doubles, and they're connecting.
No, Hansbrough wasn't as sexy a pick as Earl Clark or Jrue Holiday, but he will be in the league for 10 years, maybe as a starter, and he brings a toughness and energy the Pacers really need.
Price isn't going to wow anyone, either, but he is steady and can be a solid backup for the Pacers.
Eventually the Pacers will need to find one more star to pair with Danny Granger. And when they do, they'll have built a terrific supporting cast around them that should be able to compete deep into the playoffs.
The baseball metaphor in the first paragraph sums up the last two drafts for me. We as fans have to be patient. The pieces are being put in place. Once that happens, then the front office starts to swing for the fence. Roy Hibbert has shown the potential to the center of the future. Brandon Rush also showed flashes once he got his confidence. Results don’t happen over night. I have the feeling that Hansbrough will be a fine player for the Pacers and that we will look back on this very poor draft and feel glad we got a good player out of a group that produced mostly busts.
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Yea,
I basically agree with everything said, I dont think it was the time to swing for the fences yet, but it has to happen.
i love it that people 100% expect him to be in the league and contributing forever.
The fact is, he is short and not a great athlete. he could very well be a madsen type.
short?
6’8.5 without shoes (6’9.5 with FWIW) definitely isn’t tall but it’s decent for a PF. And he’s not a great athlete but he’s decent and is at least willing to play hard as hell. The NBA has tons of great athletes who don’t work hard and aren’t worth much because of it.
He defintely has obvious drawbacks but some decent qualities too. It’s not that most people think he’ll be awesome forever, just that he has the skill set and work ethic to be a solid backup PF for 10 years. Not saying he definitely will, but he has as much a chance as anyone else to do it. at the 13th pick you’d like to get more than a solid backup PF, but the draft was weak as hell.
"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."
I love hearing that.
Check out Psycho T’s measurables at the Combine. Chad Ford said that most compare with Michael Beasley’s and the others Hansbrough is better at. And they’re only an inch apart in height which is why it’s a good comparison. I’m fine with everybody saying how unathletic he is because the fact is, he isn’t. He has a 34in. vertical…he’s got some hops and he beats most everybody down the floor most of the time.
The fact is he’s going to get bigger now that he has serious time in the weight room,. He’s going to have a better jump shot with more time in the gym. And I’m not sure that there’s been very many guys who you could say that worked as hard as Larry Bird. Tyler Hansbrough is one of them. The guy is a winner and he will always find ways to disprove what you say and come out victorious.
I think he’ll be a solid pro with a lot high ceiling than what everybody else thinks. But just give him a chance to see what he’s got on the floor. If don’t want to, fine, I’ll enjoy Psycho T and when the Pacers are winning championships.
Thank You
I totally agree with your post. Thanks for bringing some calmness, patience, and
common sense to the discussion.
Great post, cant say that for most of the posts I read here. Ive been a pacers fan and a basketball fan since I was 7. Ive seen the good and the bad just like the rest of the few real fans. Everyone is dogging Tyler and they are idiots. We havent seen him play one nba game nor the other picks in the draft. All we know he plays tough and has alot of heart. Thats a character trait, not a stat, and it cant be coached. IF he adds weight and polishes up his post game, we may have a solid pick. We will know in 2-3 yrs. Same with Rush and Hibbert. Bottom line nobody knows so quit complaining, quit saying what if and comparing him to other players. We will have to wait and see
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